Grace in Albany

Hi, Gals & Guys,

Can u see Grace in the photo here. She with all her room mates & those who enjoyed her so called "fantastic" dinner in US.

When u are hungry & see roti all the time, anything Chinese will taste heaven so am not surprised that they all enjoyed her food.

Ok, u can decide whether the food shown here (cooked by Grace) is palatable... Looks ok to me la. Just a pot stew of food..Ha.ha.. Better than grass & roti, I supposed.

So, it's the school holidays & GSS. Everywhere there is the Four Letter Word.. However, I think am too exhausted to benefit from the SALE of the year since it's like the same everywhere.. Maybe, I'm getting old & not too interested to shop la.. Only thing I like to shop is Shares..ha.ha.that can make money hor. The rest is out & no in.

Weather is also getting hot here so it's also time to snooze in the afternoons.. Warm & fuzzy to sleep ah.. what bliss.. Especially when both girls are not around. It will be nice to go on a short holiday but alas no such luxury since all are too tight..

Well, see, Grace is enjoying herself as usual.. Just some casual snide racial remarks occasionally from the ang mos there wont kill her.. Be tolerant & bear with it la.. Life is all about patience & tolerance...

Take care & have fun, all u out there..

Monkeys are OUT

Hi,
Why are monkeys out????

This is the school holidays, mate & I would expect all students to be let out from school..Is'nt it a relief for the children to be able to enjoy one month of freedom from the stress of school life?
Not so for the parents (I supposed) who will have to find activities to occupy these bored souls for a whole month..Ya, u will be surprised at how quickly they become bored after staying at home for a few days.

Then again, I read an article recently about how a family is having problem trying to book a holiday to fit into the schedule of their school going children due to the various school activities they have to continue to partake during the school holidays. I should know too since our holiday plans were also thrown out of the window after a few consultations on the children & their cousins holiday schedules. So, this is not a unique problem but looks like a daunting issue with most families. Is'nt it nice to go back to those days when all we have to do is to go away for leisurely family vacations during the school holidays.? But no, even the students need to apply leave from school to get away during the school holidays. That's the irony of today's stressful school life...

BTW, for those who like to know about Grace, she's adapting well in US. Spoken to her a couple of times & decided that Grace can survive in anywhere u throw her too. Too well, I should say, since she's starting to argue with her work managers & supervisors on what she should or should not do.. Grace, watch your back or u be stabbed!

Ya, one month of bliss at home for some & boredom for others. Which way it goes will depend on how u view and handle life. U can decide to do something different this time round eg. read some books to increase your knowledge, learn some new games, make some new friends, do some handiwork...Live life to the fullest during this time as u get the most freedom now.

So, all u students out there, enjoy the holidays....
Cheers for all ..

Enjoying Life Eh?

Howdy,

How's everyone? Is it like a ball? Glimmering & shimmering like this picture. Hope it's like that for everyone. Well, for those who are interested, Grace is adapting well to US now that she's been there for a few days.

However, she has no internet so u have to excuse her if she does not read mails or MSN anyone yet. Am sure in time to come, she will find her sources to do that. Trust her to be resourceful (eh, like mom) with lots of initiative. With her adaptive nature, she can survive anywhere (even if u throw her to the dogs literally). So, this begets the question "How adaptive are our youths these days?". Personally, I find that even as there are a small group of youngsters who can be adaptable to any environment, many others are still highly sheltered in their lives. What with all the pampering & spoonfeeding by the parents, it's no surprise that youngsters take things for granted.

In fact, Grace being away will hopefully teach her to be more independant & survive out of the family home where all the creature comforts are provided at her fingertips without any need to bother for her. So, sometimes, it's good to let go of your children & let them chart out their own paths for them to really grow up.

My fear is that the youngsters cannot take hardship & setbacks as well as we older folks are used to. The recent news abt NTU graduates getting snapped up for jobs & paid very attractive salaries have me thinking about our times when graduates have to "beg" for jobs or during the recent Asian Financial crisis where graduates go jobless for months on end. The good job market also mean that graduates are spoilt for choices & once they have a smooth sailing career without any setbacks, they may be ill prepared in life.

So much for such bleak views, there are still much good news & things to be thankful for.

May all of u have a good week ahead.

Did u enjoy your long flight

Hi, Grace,

Hope your trip was like the sea. Smooth as breeze tho' am sure it will be a bit uncomfortable with such a long flight. U will probably be a walking dishelveled zombie when u arrived in US. As long as u are not dressed shabbily, u should not have too much trouble with the immigration.

Dont forget to MSN mom when u are there. Most times, I put myself busy on MSN but actually around in the mornings. Guess I need to change my schedule to night when u are in US now. So, take care & be good

It's kind of funny when u realise that u want to peep into Grace's room & thought she will be sleeping there when I know that she's away. Guess it will take me a while to get used to this new schedule.

Life's the same here & I should feel blessed that all's well & healthy. The recent deaths of the mother & teacher (was it?) who died under the wrath of a fallen tree made me rethink again that life is fragile. We never know when it's time to go. It's our Maker's decision so we can all go in very unusual & sudden circumstances. So, do good & accummulate merits. Actually, being schooled in a Catholic organization in my early years, I've always believed in God. Nevertheless, I always adopt a open attitude as far as religion is concerned. Recently, I read some books on buddhism & their teachings are actually quite applicable & relevant to our daily lives. It teaches us to be tolerant to all religions & that no religious persons should threaten another that they will not find heaven if they do not adhere to a certain religion. In fact, heaven & hell is a state of mind & we develop this from our own experiences. So, it's all controlled by yourself. However, it's also very important for us to gather good karma by doing merits at all times. Small or big, merits do accummulate & it's never late to extend a helping hand, a listening ear, a small gift, a hug etc just to show your care & concern.

So, my motto is still be good to all & don't speak evil of others. Be empathic to others' situations & understand their plight or circumstances.

All u out there, will u be nice to your "enemies" today? Buy them lunch, have a nice word for them, stop backstabbing friends, enquire about their well being etc.

Have a great day to all.

Grace - Lots of luv from all here in Singapore.

Flown Away

Hello,

For those who are concerned about Grace, she has flown away this afternoon. Another 30 hrs, & she will arrive at her destined work place which is Albany. Ulu town which is supposedly 2 hrs drive from New York City. Ha.ha. am sure she will be greatly surprised by what she sees. The furthest she was away is probably limited to Asia Pacific, like New Zealand. So, this will be a great change for her to fly half the world away. Bon voyage to her & great Snoozing on the plane ride.

Well, wanted to share with u how the relatives enjoyed the BBQ & the celebration at home. See. no time to pause & eat. Must eat while continue bonding & interacting. That's the style man. No prizes for guessing the 4 kakis ah. Am sure u all can tell by the shapes & sizes ah.

It will be a long time until we have the next family gathering since Grace is away. Home is quiet for a change..nice change too. Isn't it the empty nest syndrome yet? No, just one bird has flown away, temporarily. In a flash, she will soon be back, more the wiser, I hope, with her exposure to the "Real world".

So, to all Grace's friends out there, wish her good luck & best wishes on her upcoming work.

Take care & God Bless.

Totally Exhausted

Hi,

It was a whirlwind last week as it was a hectic schedule since I returned from my cruise. Had to prepare for the family gathering & run errands for the family. Well, glad that u guys & gals enjoyed the noodles.. U need several rounds of training before u can become the master chef. Even I do not know how to cook such delicious noodles la. But I won't bother to learn so that I can tell hubby to prepare his specialty anytime. That's the trick ah.

So, how I wish I can lie on the easy chair & enjoy the sea view this week. But not yet, until Grace has flown away tomorrow. Her last minute packing & shopping are usual & typical of youngsters nowadays, so what's new. Hopefully her trip out there will make her a more independent & organised person. Wait till she has to cook, wash, clean & scrub ah (like a houseperson). Then, she will know why we are called House Manager. Managing a home is no different from working. U need wits, planning and great co-ordination.. ha. ha.

Candice turn sweet sixteen today so going into adulthood soon is round the corner. That also means that it's been over 16 years since we had to carry this baby. Time waits for no man & I certainly feel myself aging over the years. Tho' I'm very much young at heart. Read recently on the news about how a mother tried to behave "hip" with her daughter & went clubbing with her at St James Power just to get into the heat of things. Too bad, I don't think my heart can take such pounding noises & senseless drinking & smoking. No late nights for me as I need to maintain my ageless youth.ha.ha. So, just blogging will do for the moment.

Did u all celebrate Mother's Day with your beloved one? I know I had the most memorable Mother's Day of all since it's like any other day for me. Regular family dinner & usual bitching. So, I should know that Mother or no Mother's day, the children will always be children. Don't expect too much to change or to be different. Guess I'll have to wait until they have their own family to realise the role the parents play. So, all mothers will continue to play their motherly roles with unconditional love & devotion, irregardless of the deal they get from their children. We do not expect reciprocal deal at all.

That's all for now before I exhaust my small brain.

Hope all of u have a good week.

Cheers

Cat is Out

Ai ya, Shaun, How can u let the cat out of the bag? It's supposed to be a family gathering la...

& Jeff, becos' of u, we will have to do last minute changes to the menu...haeme no taugeh (meesiam no hum ah ...)..U very big shot so make sure u all come ah..

Anyway, the younger one is out this week on school camp to Malaysia, so dare I say that there is peace & quiet..Lazing around like the cat on the floor...wow..how relaxed.

Ya, also preparing to go on another lazy cruise trip tonight....Ha, this is the kind of retiree life I'm looking forward to..Smell the sea, the roses & indulge..That's high tai tai life for u. Don't be envious , friends, your time will come after u have slogged for another 20 years la.

Wah, nowadays, the weather is getting sweltering.Must be global warming at work lor. So, all u out there, be more environmental friendly. Switch off lights, less air con usage, shower faster, dont let the tap running, use your own environmental friendly bags lor..

Each of u youngsters must do your part to save the environment for your descendants. U have more years to enjoy the earth whereas oldies like us only have another 20 to 30 years at most.

So, spare a thought everytime, u use electricity or water.

BTW, come in comfy clothes like ultra shorts & t shirts for the BBQ since it's gonna be real hot.

Cya then. Meanwhile, cheers & good luck to me on my upcoming cruise la..

Bye

Hello,

Did anyone missed me? Ha ha. My ego getting big ah!

Wish I'm as calm as the sea here. But not sure as it has been a hectic week for me. Busy shuttling around & checking out my investments are very very time consuming. Plus, I'm preparing for a small family gathering cum celebration.

I always find it a joy just to be able to share my blessings with all so the family gathering is one way to celebrate life & being able to enjoy life. So, all u relatives who are reading this, make sure u come for the gathering (shall omit the date since I do not want uninvited guests). In fact, this reminds me of a real story I heard over the radio of a young teenager who had an open house at home when her family went on vacation(happened in USA). It seems that she put the open house party invitation on her blog meaning to invite friends only. However, it got circulated to the extent that all sorts of uninvited guests & hooligans turned up at her house & ransacked & ruined the place thoroughly resulting in the parents having to pay several thousand dollars to repair the damage. Thank goodness, we live in Singapore & not USA!

As both my girls will be going away soon, I get bothered & flustered (they are more calm than me) about what they should prepare for their trips abroad. Mothers are always like that! We may not express it (eh. looking after the char siew is easier hor) but we get stressed & fretful over our children's affairs. So, u children out there, spare a thought for your "poor" mothers & make sure u celebrate Mother's Day with a little "gift" (however insignificant ). U never know what it is like to be a parent until u become ONE. We parents all know this now! Remember, it's not too late to honor & luv your parents as long as they are still around. U will miss them when they are not around la!

So much for now as it's hot & time for my afternoon nap....snnooooooze....

Enjoy the weekend....